Baggage



July 13, 1965 J. M. HERRING, JR

BAGGAGE Filed Nov. 28, 1962 INVENTOR.

- JAMES M. HERRING, JR. BY

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,194,365 BAGGAGE James M. Herring, Jr., Rosemont, Pa., assignor to The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Nov. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 240,597

1 Claim. '(Cl. 190- 19) This invention relates to baggage.

Presently, there are commercially available a large number of different types of carrying cases or bags, valises, suitcases, etc., which are expensive bothto manufacture and to buy. However, there appears to be a potential market for inexpensive baggage designed to be sold on an optional basis in conjunction with the sale of some other article or even provided free-of-charge. Examples are a set of custom suitcases designed to fill a car trunk as completely as possible and a carrying case specially fitted to carry the article which is the primary object of the sale, such asa typewriter, camera, microscope, etc.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, lightweight baggage.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a piece of baggage embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 3-6 are enlarged cross sectional views illustrating various steps in the method of manufacturing the baggage illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, the invention is illustrated as embodied in a suitcase or valise comprising a pair of case sections designated a base 11 and a cover 12 that are hinged or pivotally connected in the usual fashion for movement between open and closed positions. Valise 10 includes a carrying handle 13 and a pair of latches 14 of any suitable conventional construction and operation. Base 11 and cover 12 are shape similarly and, when closed, enclose a space for carrying articles in the valise.

Each of the case sections comprises a shallow pan-dishor cup-shaped plastic shell 15 joined at its edge to a metal reinforcing rim or strip 16. This strip is of generally U-shaped cross section and includes a longitudinal, coextensive groove or slot 17 which receives the edge of shell 15 and interlocks therewith.

Slot 17 comprises: a throat 18 defined by a pair of parallel side walls 19; and a central chamber or cavity 20 defined by a bottom wall 21, a pair of parallel side walls I 22=and a pair of oblique walls 23 that extend between the outer ends of side walls 22 and the inner ends of side walls 19. Side walls 22 are spaced transversely a greater distance than walls 19 whereby cavity 20 is wider than throat 18.

The edge of shell 15 extends through throat 15 and substantially fills cavity 29 whereby the extreme edge of the shell forms an enlarged portion 24 which is wider than throat 18 and cannot pass therethrough. Each strip 16 also has a flat face 25 adapted to abut the flat face 25 of the other strip (FIG. 2) to seal with the valise when closed.

The angle of oblique walls 23 is such that a force tending to separate shell 15 and strip 16 (that is, tending to pull them apart) causes that portion of the enlarged section 24 entrained between the oblique walls 23 and the adjacent portions of the side walls to wedge against the oblique walls and force or wedge the walls 19 of the throat into tighter engagement with the shell. This wedging action permits the use of thinner walls 22 and thereby affords a lighter weight construction than in the case if such wedging action were not present. Thus, the edge of shell 15 positively locks or interlocks with strip 16 and it is not necessary to join these parts by using additional filler material, rivets, clamps, adhesives, etc.

In accordance with the invention, valise 10 is constructed by first forming base 11 and cover 12 and then pivotally connecting them together and attaching a handle 13 and latches 14. Each case section, i.e., base 11 and cover 12, is constructed in a similar fashion so that only the method of constructing one of them need be described in detail.

As the first step of the method, strip 16 and shell 15 are formed separately. Strip 16 is of a metal, such as aluminum, that is lightweight and strong enough to reinforce the edge of the shell and has a higher softening or melting temperature than the shell. Strip 16 is preferably formed by extruding it to first form a length of bar stock having the desired transverse cross section. Next, the bar stock is cut to length. Each piece thus formed is then bent or stretch formed into a rectangular, annular shape corresponding to the shape of the edge of the shell. Then the ends of the bent strip are joined to fasten them. This last step can be eliminated by placing the rectangularly bent strip in a fixture or platen during the assembly process whereby the platen holds the ends in proper alignment so that the shell can be assembled or attached.

Shell 15 is of a thermoplastic material having suitable properties for use as a valise. The material softens or becomes plastic at a temperature below the melting or softening point of strip 16 so that it can be softened without softening FOX melting the strip. As an example, the shell can be an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) polymer such as Kralastic SS sold under this trade name by the Naugatuck Chemical Division of the United States Rubber Company.

Shell 15 is preferably formed from sheet material by vacuum drawing, blowing or stretch forming techniques. In each of these methods, the sheet is heated above its softening point and force against the mold of the desired shape, and then cooled to retain the shape.

Next, shell 15 and strip 16 are assembled so that the edge of the shell extends through throat 17 and abuts end wall 21. This can be done by first placing strip 16 in a fixture or platen 2'7 and then aligning and inserting the edge of the shell into the slot causing the edge to abut end wall 21 as shown in FIG. 4.

After the shell and strip have been thus assembled, the edge is softened by heating it to its softening temperature. To do this, heat is applied to strip 16 whereby the heat is conducted through the strip and into the edge. One way to supply the heat would be to embed an electrical resistance heater 28 in fixture 27 whereby operation of the heater heats strip 16.

Next, the softened portions are upset to fill cavity 20 as by pushing the shell into the slot, in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5, so that the hard (unsoftened) portions of the shell push downwardly through the throat and expand the softened portions transversely until the cavity is filled.

Prior to upsetting, the edge of shell 15 is of substantially uniform thickness. The distance between side walls 19 is made slightly greater than the thickness of shell 15 to provide suitable clearance so that when the shell is initially inserted into the strip, the edge does not contact walls 19.

To facilitate insertion of the edge and upsetting the softened portions, the upper edges of walls 19 can be beveled as illustrated.

Strip 16 is heated at its bottom to produce a temperature gradient along the strip whereby the bottom wall 21 is at a higher temperature than side walls 19. When the shell edge is inserted into the slot so that the bottom of the edge abuts the bottom wall 21, the edge heats from the pended claim.

2 bottom upwhereby lower portions soften portions.v The thermal conductivity of the plastic shelleis sufficiently 10w whereby, although the immediate, lower before upper portions of the edge are soft, the upper portions, becauseof the temperature gradient, are hard and lean-be pushed .7 downwardly through the throat to expand the softened I portions.- This upsetting continues after cavity 20 issubl stantially filled until the throat is filled and. the shell begins to bulge or exapnd slightly above thestrip whereupon'the upsetting force is removed or discontinued. During the upsetting,a small air cavity would probably be ff0rrned,-

in theabsence of any tap or bleed hole, at'the-intersections ofobliqueflwalls 23 and sidewalls 22'above enlarged portion 24. va v Finally, the softened portionsare hardened and solidi-r fiedby cooling them belowthe softening point; This can' be accomplished rapidly by spraying the strip 16 'withia liquid coolant'w, such as water, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a toquench the softened portions and securely join strip 16 and shell 15.1 This application or coolant might be desir-v ablein high speed productionwhere it might also be delsirable to continuously heatthe platensbysheater28, as'op posed to intermittent heating thereof. Afterfthesoftened portions havecooled sufficiently, the now completed case section" is removed and then assembled with another case section; in the-'rnanner: previously indicated, toiform' a valise, v s.

It. is to be understoodfthatjvarious changesmcan be made in thedetailsjand arrangementsof parts without departing from the scope of the invention as What is claimed is:

In a valis'e, .the conibinationsofz 'a pair of case-set ions defined in the ap-? at leastone of-said case sections comprising a sheet meinber andareinforcing U-shaped' strip bonded, to vits V edge,:

said U-shaped strip including a closed bottom wall'and 'a' pair of spaced apart continuous upstanding side walls to f define a cavity therebetween', each of said side walls'shaving l at its upperwend 'a first portion extending jnwardly'toward i 'the opposite; side wall offsaid pair and parallel to said;

bottom wall," and a secondportion extending downwardlyl toward v said bottom Wall, said-secondportions of thexside wallsibeingin opposedrelatiolnship oneto; another to'jde j fine .a v throatto receive the i edgefofa e men membe therein,--each'said secondjpor'tion having a planar surfac l extending from,itsifree end jarid'inclin'ed toward: theF'iO P' V 7, portion ofthe side Wall of 1Whichthesam'e torms a part; ,said edge-of said sheet member having anenlarged portion i filling saidfcavity and eirtendingbetween said planar sur-" 1 a es and their respective said sidewalls References Citedhy'the-Exarniner;

' FRANIQIN E A RETTQ; i 

